Firewood
by AngelicFairy
Summary: Sango and Miroku set out to collect firewood. But this nighttime chore takes a different turn this time. Sango's had enough and wants answers only Miroku can give. Some drama but later cute and fluffy. Two-parter!
1. Part 1

_***Author's Note***_

Hello everyone! First of all, thanks for taking the time to read this. It's my first Inuyasha fic, but not first fic ever. I've only watched a few episodes of Inuyasha but I've read a lot of the manga translations along with the Japanese mangas, thanks to my friend Dishy! Anyways, this is mainly Sango/Miroku with a touch of Kagome/Inuyasha for flavor. Enjoy!

Special thanks to my two beta-readers and good friends: **MysticVigil** and **Dishy**! Even though MysticVigil doesn't know about IY, she helped!

Firewood Part 1 

by_ AngelicFairy aka *Maura*_

       "When's dinner, Kagome?" whined the little kitsune Shippo to his surrogate mother, who was currently rummaging through her rather large backpack for items.

       The raven-haired girl's head surfaced from within the depths of the bag, pulling out a tiny box of matches and a large book. "Soon, Shippo. Soon. If Sango and Miroku would only hurry up and get the firewood."

       "Feh," a voice from overhead scoffed. "Knowing those two, they'll end up fighting because the monk can't keep his hands to himself and I'll have to end up doing their job."

       "Oh, hush up, Inuyasha!" Kagome called up to where he sat lounging on a tree branch. "I'm sure for once Miroku will behave. He knows that we need to get the fire started quickly so we can eat and rest up before tomorrow." Then she proceeded to situate herself directly under Inuyasha's branch and begin to flip through the pages of her math textbook.

       "Show's how much you know," the hanyou muttered, shutting his eyes while Shippo occupied himself by playing a game of tag with the fire-cat Kiara.

       "Houshi-sama! If you so much as touch me even the slightest one more time, you'll never be able to ask another girl to bear your child!" Sango screeched, whacking away wandering hands. The pretty demon exterminator had just bent over to see if the pile of wood she had found was good enough to burn, thinking that her companion was on the other side of the little glen, when she had felt unwanted hands caressing her rear. Her face had heated up and thankfully the girl had been wise enough to carry her large boomerang along with her in case of an emergency. 

       "But beautiful Sango! I cannot help it. My hands have minds of their own," protested the now-injured monk from the forest ground.

       "Then let me help by demolishing those minds," Sango threatened menacingly. When he made no other comment, she continued on the search for firewood. The rain from the night before had left the entire woodlands drenched in water and it was nearly impossible to find dry wood.

       A rustling sound from behind told Sango that Miroku was dutifully following her. Satisfied that she had taught him another lesson, though he never seemed to learn from them, she leaned forward when she thought she sighted a few dry sticks.

       Apparently, the last lesson had not been sufficient because sure enough, two seconds after leaning over, Sango felt a quick pat to her bottom. Breathing deeply through her nose, she shot straight up, turned a perfect 180 degrees, and raised a fist to clobber the person behind her. He raised his arms to defend his face and her fist was only millimeters away when suddenly, she dropped her arms.

       "Wha-?" a startled Miroku gazed above his arms in complete surprise. He had been expecting a beating but what he got was absolutely nothing, save the small sigh that escaped Sango's lips.

       His eyes found hers and he was shocked to see hopelessness and defeat within them. The normally strong and fierce gaze was now downcast. Miroku figured his eyes must have been questioning because she began answering the question that was on his mind: Why didn't she hit me?

       "What's the point? What's the use of all this, Houshi-sama?" Her voice had lost its irate tone from moments before. He watched as she turned her back towards him, leaving her backside completely vulnerable to his lecherous hands, but in his mind, he knew now was not the right time for foolishness.

       Instead, he asked in confusion, "The point of what?"

       "Everything you do. I do. What's the point of always groping me, always feeling me, then getting beaten to a bloody pulp. Where is there any significance in these foolish actions? Why waste time? Does it help to collect shards? Does it help to prevent your Air-Rip from swallowing you? Does it help to bring me back my father and brother?" She laid a delicate hand gently but firmly on the tree trunk beside her, using it for balance as her voice began to quiver slightly. 

       "Tell me," she whispered at first and then with more fire, "TELL ME!"

       Miroku stared unbelievingly at her back. Where did all of this suddenly come from? What was she talking about? One minute they're looking for firewood, the next, Sango turns all serious and is questioning him on their ways. To say he was speechless was an understatement. He had never thought that they would ever have a conversation like this and therefore, hadn't been able to plan ahead, like he usually preferred to do.

       "I - I -" stuttered the dumbfounded monk, holding his staff limply at his side.

       "Is it -" Sango began, her voice a bit steadier, "is it because I'm the only girl left: Because you've been rejected too many times? Inuyasha would bury you alive if you tried anything with Kagome, so am I only your girl plaything, to pat and caress as you please? When you actually find someone who will be yours, you can leave me, abandoned and alone, the way children dispose of their old toys."

       Plaything? Abandon? Someone else? What? These words swam into Miroku's brain and floated around, trying to make sense of the meanings behind them. Why was Sango suddenly sprouting off these senseless words? But no, they weren't senseless. In the back of his mind, a little tug told Miroku that Sango was expressing how she felt in an almost indirect way, twisting her words around a bit.

       "Sango -" he started, contemplating his approach. What could he say? He heard a slight sniffle and his eyes went wide. She was...she was crying? Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned the girl to face him. "Sango, look at me," he instructed when she kept her head bowed. She didn't heed his words so he took his right hand and carefully lifted her chin so that her eyes would meet his. 

       It was worse than he thought. There were pools in each beautiful eye and a silent stream flowing from each: her red nose completed the anguished look. Was this all her emotions revealing themselves visibly to him? Had she finally let down her protective shield so that he could view her soft, weaker side? Was this how she was because of him: Not the strong, determined fighter but the vulnerable, emotional girl with feelings.

       "You have it wrong," he spoke each word separately, fearing that if he messed up now, he would lose her forever. "Is that how you think I see you: As...as...as a plaything; a toy for my pleasures?"

       He shook his head, disgusted at himself for ever letting her feel that way. "You're much more than that. You asked what was the point of all the groping and slapping. And I will answer you now."

       Miroku kept staring down into Sango's eyes, which was slowly filling less and less with tears and now with apprehension. "It's our cycle, the way we function: The only way I can keep from hurting you."

       "Hurt-hurting me?" Sango managed to whisper in a barely audible voice. 

       Nodding, Miroku removed his hand from underneath her chin and took a step back from Sango. Suddenly, he was filled with fear at what he was about to say. Would she accept or reject him? But the image of Sango's tear-filled eyes flashed across his mind and he knew that she needed the answer: Not tomorrow, not a week from then, but right then and there, standing in the middle of the forest.

       "Yes. Hurting you. I grope you because...because it's the only way I know how to show how I truly feel about...about you. I never knew any other way. This way, I'm guaranteed that you'll keep slapping me away and preventing me from falling deeper into the hole of love I've dug myself into, and preventing myself from getting closer to you because I don't want you to have to suffer because of me. I don't want you to die because of my cursed hand, to feel the pain from my mistakes. Because I love you, I don't want you to undergo any tribulations."

       Nothing was said after these words. The sun above just barely lit the sky with a few orange hues of the evening. Nighttime was nearly upon them and the forest noises were decreasing, indicating that the animals were getting ready to turn in. Yet, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of forest life, the monk and demon exterminator stood, facing each other, yet neither looking at the other directly. Words saturated in heavy meaning hung between them in the air, waiting to be either accepted or blown away.

**End of Part 1. **

_***Author's Note***_

Soo, how was it readers? Good? Bad? Let me know by reviewing! Helpful feedback appreciated! I'm always eager to improve my writing so feel free to comment on whatever you wish. ^_^ Part 2 will be out in one week. Scroll down a bit for a preview of it.

**_*Maura*_**

E-mail me: jus1digigirl@yahoo.com

Check out my website: 

Preview of Part 2:

       Miroku had obviously noted her flushing and he took her small, smooth hands, enclosing them neatly in his larger, rough ones. She turned, if possible, a deeper red. "What now?" he asked softly.

       Her eyelashes fluttered prettily as Sango slowly looked into his chocolate brown eyes. What indeed? There was no going back on the action they had just committed and Miroku certainly couldn't take back his confession. Well, the demon exterminator decided, enjoying the warmth that the monk's hands provided her, there's only one thing I can do.

Now…REVIEW! Please? ^_~


	2. Part 2

_***Author's Note***_

Thanks to all who reviewed! You all rock! Now, the conclusion of 'Firewood.' Which is a bit longer than Part 1.

"Because I love you, I don't want you to undergo any tribulations." - Miroku from Part 1 Firewood Part 2 

       "Th-that's probably not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure," Miroku said quietly, breaking the lingering silence between himself and Sango.

       Startled out of her deep reverie, Sango glanced up quickly. Her face was disbelieving, almost in shock, as if the confession by the monk only moments before had her bound tightly, leaving her unable to move. But what was he saying now? Did he think she didn't reciprocate his feelings? Sango's mind was numb and she was unable to focus clearly.

       "Why...why do you say that?" she finally managed to squeeze out of her lips.

       He eyed her for a moment, head tilted slightly, before looking away with a sigh. "Because I just gave you the answer to what you wanted to know and you simply stand there saying nothing. I don't know what it was that you expected and I'm sorry, but I - "

       The torrent of words that escaped were stopped suddenly by a pair of lips: Sango's lips, to be precise. Standing there, watching the man she loved first confess his love to her and then suddenly, an odd sensation overtook the young woman and she found herself flinging her arms around Miroku's neck and locking lips with him. It was quite an unSango-like action indeed. Had anyone who knew the girl been passing by at just that moment, they would've thought her to be a demon in disguise.

       Miroku, on the other hand, having had talked to Sango before she tossed herself upon him, knew that this was the same Sango who had beat him over the head many times and was thrown once more into a black hole of unexpected surprises. He had been expecting one of two things: either another flood of tears or a bashing to the head. What he got was far more pleasant.

       A minute later, they separated, both quite red in the face and unsure of what to do next.

       "Okay, that's it." Inuyasha lightly leapt off his high branch to crouch near the ground and flickered his golden eyes towards Kagome, whose forehead was now scrunched up in concentration.

       "Four pi times the radius of circle B...," she muttered, oblivious to her hanyou companion.

       Shippo now bounded over and bounced onto Inuyasha's shoulder. "I'm hungry!" he stated.

       Inuyasha easily flicked the kitsune off his shoulder before plucking the math textbook neatly out of Kagome's hands.

       "Wha-?"

       "Look wench, I'm hungry. The kit's hungry. You're hungry. And those two baka's aren't back yet. It's been over half an hour and it's getting dark," he explained.

       Kagome raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what do you want me to do about it?"

       "Simple. We're going to go find them."

       "And leave all our stuff here?"

       Inuyasha stopped for a moment before replying, "No. Kiara!" the fire-cat mewed in response and trotted over to the group. "Watch our stuff with Shippo while we find Miroku and Sango."

       Kiara nodded and Inuyasha stood, grabbing Kagome on the way. Shippo, from his position on the ground, crawled over to Kiara. He watched as the two people he considered his parents (though Inuyasha acted more like a big brother than father) tromped into the forest. 

       "So Kiara, you think those guys will ever get together?" he asked.

       The cat demon just shrugged her small shoulders and settled down, keeping her senses alert.

       "Ssh! You don't want to scare them! If Sango throws her boomerang, it'll knock us both out," Kagome whispered to Inuyasha before tripping over a large root herself. Large arms caught her before her face could feel the scratch of the forest floor.

       "You're makin' more noise than me," Inuyasha stated, righting her position and continuing.

       Kagome said nothing but simply followed with a slight pink tinge to her cheeks. They walked in silence for a few moments until they heard voices. Familiar voices. Before Kagome could stop her feet, she had walked straight into something hard and soft at the same time.

       "I think that's them," Inuyasha said and was getting ready to burst out from behind the cluster of trees to begin verbally attacking his friends when Kagome clutched his arm tightly.

       He turned his gaze towards her. "What?"

       She looked up at him and then back towards in the direction of the murmurs. "Don't! Let's see what they're saying! I don't hear any shouting, so it must be serious, for once!" A mischievous glint lighted up her dark brown eyes and she grinned devilishly at Inuyasha.

       "So what you're saying is that you want to spy on them."

       "Exactly."

       "You're hopeless."

       Kagome just stuck her tongue out.

       "So..."

       "So..."

       "Yeah..."

       "Heh..."

       Then the tension and uneasiness that separated the two was broken by a smile on Miroku's face that no one had ever seen before: a smile that could only be described as being goofy.

       Sango had to giggle. She had never seen the monk look so relaxed and carefree and that smile, though goofy, was rather attractive. And, she thought, she was the one who had brought it. She, Sango, had kissed him. And all at once, she felt her face heat up once more and her giggle changed to a cough.

       "Erm..."

       Miroku had obviously noted her flushing and he took her small, smooth hands, enclosing them neatly in his larger, rough ones. She turned, if possible, a deeper red. "What now?" he asked softly.

       Her eyelashes fluttered prettily as Sango slowly looked into his chocolate brown eyes. What indeed? There was no going back on the action they had just committed and Miroku certainly couldn't take back his confession. Well, the demon exterminator decided, enjoying the warmth that the monk's hands provided her, there's only one thing I can do.

       She parted her lips and said, "I love you too."

       And then, as if to secure these words, she followed them with another kiss, which Miroku eagerly accepted.

       Unfortunately for the two of them, a squeak of surprise from behind them sounded and they sprung apart as if someone had burned their lips.

       "What was that?" Sango whispered, her attitude immediately changed and alert. One hand was already at her boomerang and the other at her side, ready to draw her sword.

       Miroku quickly looked around, tightly clutching his staff. He concentrated, sending out his aura, trying to sense others.

       "Oh no," he whispered to himself once he realized who was there. Relaxing his stance, he called out wearily, "Come out Kagome, Inuyasha. I know you're there."

       Instantly, Sango's eyes widened in shock and her face flushed pink once more. "Kagome?"   

       She turned towards a large bush nearby which appeared to be jiggling from side to side and two figures finally popped out from behind after a lot of rustling.

       "Hello!" Kagome waved brightly while Inuyasha smirked smartly behind her, his arms crossed.

       "What are you doing here?" Sango asked, trying to calm her voice and hoping beyond hope that they hadn't seen that last kiss or heard her confession. But, knowing her friends, they probably did.

       "Well," Kagome began, the smile on her face widening with every word as if something had just made her day. "We got worried about you two and Shippo was getting hungry. So, we decided to come find you." 

       "I see," Miroku said, knowing from Kagome's ever-stretching smile and Inuyasha's facial expression that they knew.

       "If we had known you would use collecting firewood as an excuse to make-out, we never would have sent you," Inuyasha said, still smirking, his words confirming to Sango and Miroku that he and Kagome had indeed been spying.

       They watched, amused, as even Miroku's face colored. "I wish I had my camera!" Kagome exclaimed, laughing. "I've never seen Miroku blush before!"

"So, monk, you finally got a girl who hasn't run away from you," Inuyasha said in an amused tone, and then to Sango, "You're brave."

       "Since it's out in the open now, I have to say congratulations! I mean I always knew you'd get together some day, but I always hoped you'd hurry up. Geez, you wouldn't believe the number of times we tried to get you alone so that maybe you'd confess, but stupid Miroku always has to mess up so it never worked of course. You guys have been incredibly slow but I'm so happy that you're finally together! I mean, it's so cute! And Shippo will be really happy too. And we have to plan the wedding. Wait, you did propose right? Or was that just a kiss? I mean, you've got to get married. I'll be bridesmaid of course and--mph!"

       Such quick spoken words were escaping Kagome's mouth and with each sentence, both Sango and Miroku were at a loss, unsure of what to say. Eventually, it was too much for even Inuyasha who at first was silently laughing watching his friends stare like sphinxes at Kagome, but his ears were sensitive and Kagome was getting too excited for her own good. A firm hand clamped down on her mouth and she swerved her eyes upwards to glare at the hanyou.

       "Shut up," he told her, his tone somewhat affectionate. "You talk too much."

       He watched amused as her cheeks flushed prettily and she struggled to keep a glare etched into her features.

       "Thank you," Sango told him, relieved and blushing. Propose? Wedding? She and Miroku had barely confessed let alone propose! She knew she loved the perverted houshi and would love to marry him but they'd barely been romantically involved for five minutes!

       By now, the sky was getting inky black and a cool breeze swept over the group, caressing each person gently and rustling the trees above. Sango shivered involuntarily and rubbed her nose. Immediately, something dropped heavily upon her shoulders and she started. Looking down, she noticed a warm purple fabric draped carefully over her frame and she turned her head to look back.

       "You'll be cold," she informed Miroku, trying to keep her voice from rising in excitement at his sweet gesture.

       He shrugged, and despite the lack of light, she could see his dark eyes look upon her warmly. "I'll be fine. But your yukata's not too thick."

       "Oh...um...thanks."

       For a moment, no one else spoke. They all simply stood there, in the middle of a little glen. Inuyasha had long ago removed his clawed hands from Kagome's mouth and they stood watching the little exchange between their friends. Nervously, Sango pulled the purple drape tighter around her body as Miroku switched his jingling staff from one hand to the other. It was finally the hanyou's gruff voice that interrupted the calm silence.

       "If you two are done with this mushy stuff, I'd like to get some firewood and eat dinner. May I remind you that we haven't collected all the shards and-"

       "Why don't you two go back to camp and we'll get the wood? You two go spend some more quality time together!" Kagome quickly interjected with a sharp look at Inuyasha, daring him to override her instructions.

       She was simply so happy that her friends were finally together and Miroku even went so far as to make a sweet gesture towards Sango with his drape. And now Mr. Huffy had to go and ruin the moment. He was so un-romantic that she could scream. 

       When Sango and Miroku remained unmoving, Kagome sighed. Walking behind them, she gave them each a good hard push that got them to walk and patted them cheerily on the back. "Have fun!"

       "Umm..." Sango shook her head and smiled slowly at Miroku. "Right. Come on Miroku. Shippo and Kiara are probably worried by now." She stepped over some roots and began to tread her way slowly back to camp, taking care where she stepped in the darkness.

       And the monk, well, he was stunned to say the least. His name had just escaped her lips. Something that he had silently prayed for since they had first met. Another push from Kagome got him going and he jumped over the roots to catch up, a wide smile upon his face, bright enough to light up the forest in the night. Things certainly would be different with them from now on. His hands touched something soft before him and without warning, his face was suddenly stinging.

       "Baka hentai!"

       Then again, not everything had to change. Sango huffed and turned her back to Miroku. "Love you too," he whispered, grinning, enjoying watching her stiffening back and hearing the defeated sigh escape.

       "You know, just because we're together now, does not mean you can still grope all the time."

       "Then I can some of the time, correct?"

       "You're impossible."

       "No. I'm in love."

End of Part 2.

_***Author's Note***_

Well, that's the end of the fic! What did you all think of it? Yeah, not too much Kagome/Inuyasha stuff but I told you that would be so. I'm working on another IY fic with both couples. Don't know how long that'll be or when I'll be finished. If I ever do. I'll try though. Anyways, back to the current fic, please review for me! Thank you!

**_*Maura*_**

E-mail me: jus1digigirl@yahoo.com

Check out my website: 


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